Fans of
Syberia will be glad to know that Benoit Sokal has created another
adventure game, this time taking place somewhere in North Africa. This isn’t
the Africa of today, but rather one that hearkens back to the mystique of a
by-gone era of colonial rule.
The country
of Maurania is an isolated territory bounded by greedy neighbors, all eager to
step in and fill the void of effective leadership. The current ruler of
Maurania is ill and paranoid, and has been neglecting his country. He has sent
for his estranged daughter who has been residing in Europe, but she
unfortunately has an accident along the way. She ends up in the palace harem
of a prince of Maurania, where she is expected to convalesce. She can’t
remember who she is, and why she is in this strange country. She must gain an
audience with the Prince to get any answers.
At the
game’s beginning, the harem inhabitants have named her Ann Smith, as that is
the name on a book she is carrying. This book actually chronicles the travels
of a female explorer from 100 years ago, who cataloged the animals of the
region and other interesting information. These animals are quite exotic, and
most appear to be wholly fictional in nature. This feature of the game was
actually my least favorite bit, as the drawings of the animals and their
attached descriptions are silly and unbelievable. However, this information
isn’t very intrinsic to the game, even though a few of these animals do show
up later in the game.
Ann has to
gain an audience with the prince before anyone will let her leave, but he’s
feeling ill with some sort of local fever and isn’t seeing anyone. She must
find some way to sneak in. Fortunately, the palace workers don’t seem too
bright, and all she has to do is fool the guards into believing she’s the
favorite wife. This is actually quite an involved process, as Ann has to do
many things, like run and fetch items for the favorite, cook up some dainties,
make some perfume, get a dress, and manipulate several puzzles to accomplish
many of these errands.
The puzzles
are well integrated into the storyline, and never feel forced or placed
arbitrarily. Many of them are mechanical in nature, but aren’t that difficult
to solve after the story has advanced enough to shed some light on what
certain items and machines are. This is definitely one of the better
puzzle-driven games in terms of logic and solvability. The story is involving
and delivers on most of what it promises in the realm of suspense and mystery.
Ann is more of a laid-back character than the heroine in Syberia, but she is
likable, although some of her lines are delivered in a too-frantic tone for
the content. However, the voice-acting is pretty good for most of the
dialogue.
Speaking of
dialogue, there is a large amount, and players will need to keep revisiting
many of the people and the topics offered in the dialogue trees. Often new
information will be available after visiting other characters. This is also
true of the puzzles. At some points in the game, players will play as the
leopard – in fact, a big deal is made out of this in the game’s PR. However, I
didn’t find it a major part of the game.
The
interface isn’t very well-designed, and can be annoying at times with long
waits until the correct animation begins for the required action. Often,
players will have moved the cursor away from the object just as the animation
starts. The inventory menu is also clunky.
In the front
of the game manual, Benoit Sokal speaks about his childhood love of Africa and
the stories he listened to while in Belgium. He wanted to imbue this game with
a sense of mystery and romance. This sense is here, and the story is
intriguing and involving. At times, the story gets bogged down a trifle in
all the running back and forth that Ann is required to do, but it still holds
together fairly well and really becomes intense at the end of the game.
This is a
fun adventure game and ranks among the better ones from the last couple of
years. Syberia is a better game all around, but this one is good. The
slow pace may put players off at first, but things do speed up eventually. It
would have been better if there hadn’t been quite as much traveling from place
to place to collect items, as this does get tiring at times. Still, this is a
nice adventure with plenty of atmosphere and one that most adventure fans will
enjoy.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The story is
good, the puzzles are engaging and the characters well fleshed out. The game
does require too much trotting about, though, and there is a bit too much
emphasis on positional and mechanical puzzles. The interface is a pain at
times. However, the story will keep the interest and encourage players to
continue.
Graphics: 8.0
I liked the sepia
tones of the game, it’s reminiscent of black and white movies.
Sound: 6.0
The sound affects
are average and the music is sorely lacking. The voice-acting is good, though.
Difficulty: Medium
The puzzles are
just right.
Concept: 7.0
It’s a typical
adventure game, but the presentation is good.
Overall: 7.8
One of the better
adventures in the recent resurgence of the genre. While not the best of the
best, it still ranks above average in terms of interest and playability. A
good choice for adventure game fans.
